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¯¯ Latest update ¯¯
1960 PA Cresta
2007 to 2009?
With this conversion I wasn’t going to compromise on performance, have always
longed for a V8. Never fancied a Rover or an American, it’s all been done before,
besides I always like to do things differently. As always the donor car was crucial,
options were BMW 5 series, Lexus LS400 or Jaguar XJR, they were all possible
with the PA. I also needed to purchase a complete car, and to keep costs down
preferably one with damage, but not on the chassis.
The Lexus has only 280 BHP, BMW were always high mileage or were too expensive,
so that left the Jaguar. The pre 1998 models have 322 BHP but after 98 that goes
up to 370 with the 4 litre V8 supercharger.
Then in August 2007 Universal Salvage had a 2001 V8 with 77,000 miles up for
auction, after 3 attempts with it not reaching its reserve, they relented and sold
it to me for £1850, (£600 below my top bid in the first auction). Amazingly it
came with premium sound system, satellite navigation, cruise control, air con,
phone system, leather interior etc. etc. all will be fitted in the PA.
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Looks nice here in sunny Jersey, but was hiding rust and structural horrors |
Next I bought a PA from Colin Clarke in Jersey. I suspected the car was probably
beyond economic restoration, having been patched up by a previous owner to Colin
many years before, but it was ideal for my purposes. On stripping the car down it
was worse than I imagined, the repairs done probably 15 years ago were not good,
the floor and sills were totally rotten, the car was starting to drop in the middle.
This made me feel better, because I wasn’t going to cut up a good restorable
example, this car could only have been used for spares.
The plans for this project are to keep the entire floor of the Jaguar including the sills.
Not only are the sills the same shape and width apart as the Cresta, but also
because they form part of the structure they are incredibly strong.
Because the bonnet and front wings will need extending, Jonathan had the great
idea to convert her into a 2 door. This will improve the proportions; see the mock-up
above I made up on the computer. The colours are only an idea at the moment;
the cream would match the leather seats. Knowing my track record on choosing
paint I’ll probably change my mind. The wheels are also from the Jaguar, note
the rear wheel sits further back because of the Jaguars slightly longer wheelbase.
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This will look good in the Cresta, 370 BHP as well |
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Most of the interior will be used, with some colour changes |
What follows is a progress report on
the restoration and
customising of the Cresta.
This is my fifth update on the Cresta/Jaguar hybrid
At last all the welding has been done, it’s been a long and eventful task.
There have been lots of problem solving; by far the most complex has been
the amalgamating and lengthening the doors. Getting everthing to
work together has been a nightmare, because I wanted to keep the
electric windows and central door locking from the Jaguar, and of course
it needed to open and close properly. Everything works great with a nice solid
thud when they are closed.
This photo shows the roll over bar I made to link to the new
positioned ‘B’ posts. The flat strips running down each side are for the headlining.
This photo shows the inner door framework; of course this will be hidden
once I build the new bespoke door cards. I am really looking forward
to the trimming, a change from all that welding.
I then spent 3 weeks hard work shaping the panels, especially where there
were joins in the front and rear wings. The only panels that didn’t need
work were the roof and boot lid, these happen to be the only 2 panels
that are original in shape. Then applied etch primer and 10 litres of 2 pack
primer and she is ready for my friends at Bolam Crash Repairs to do
there magic and paint her blue and cream.
To see her for the first time outside and all one colour you really now can
get a feel how the car will finally look. The 2 door proportions I think are
just right and most important it stills looks like a Cresta even with
the slightly different shaped body panels. With the windscreen fitted in, the
bonnet appears shorter.
The hole in the offside front wing edge is for fresh air supply to the engine.
There will be an extra panel under the rear bumper to cover up the spare
wheel bulge, this will also house the reversing and rear fog lights.
You can see the shape of the wheel arches here; I tried to keep them
as subtle as possible even though they have to accommodate
18-inch 255x45 tyres
Initially I thought lengthening the bonnet was going to be tricky, but after
one false attempt and a change of mind it went together nicely.
From the driving position it doesn’t look too long, it should be fine to
pull out from junctions, certainly no worse than an E Type Jaguar.
I will be using AeroCatch Bonnet Pins to secure the bonnet as Jonathan
did on his Viva Cabriolet; I was impressed how they performed.
BMW tailgate struts help in lifting the heavy bonnet and bespoke hinges
replace the Renault ones I first fitted, they were just not up to the job.
A stainless steel grill under the front bumper will link the front wings to
allow cooling air onto the supercharger, oil and air con radiators.
The next update will be an appendix to this one when I get it back from
the painters in about 3 months. Then starts the rebuilding
and making the new interior.
To see a history of this project click on 'Cresta history'
as usual if you would like to be notified about the next update please e-mail me
paulnov21@hotmail.com
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